maintaining athlete health

Maintaining Athlete Health Empowering the Coach

Presentation prepared by: Kevin Tyler

ANI: September 24th, 2011

Athletics Northern Ireland

Athletics Northern Ireland: Athlete Health


• Athlete health is ultimately the responsibility of the coach: Empowers

• The coach -> athlete development & programme delivery

• This responsibility can’t be passed on to third parties

• Medicalisation of injury

• If you want to reduce rate of injury it helps to embrace this philosophy

ANI: Athlete Health


• As coaches we need to be introspective about injury

• It is an opportunity to learn & adapt

• Avoid the blame game: it is not productive

ANI: Athlete Health


• Coaches should examine their attitudes regarding injury

Injuries are the result of dumb luck: Inevitable

versus

Injury is the result of inappropriate stressors

either acute or chronic in nature

ANI: Athlete Health


Empowered: Four areas where the coach can make a big difference

1. Coach as the Team Leader

4. Specific Interventions

2. Understanding Functional v Dysfunctional in your athletes / sport

3. Programming and Feedback

ANI: Athlete Health


1. Coach as the Team Leader

• Absolute: non negotiable

• Reductionist nature of Sport Science & Medicine (Goldsmith)

• Use partners to inform, coach as filter

• Ensure you are aligned philosophically

ANI: Athlete Health


Hamstring Injury Example

Injury Can be Confusing:

Expert explanations for this injury: Fatigue,

Eccentric Strength; Flexibility, Imbalances...

Who you listen to, influences your plan .

Don’t rely strictly on “experts”

Coach as Leader & Decision Maker

But no amount of money has resolved this

issue: Premier League (13% / £200m)

ANI: Athlete Health: Understanding Injury


Healthy

Athlete is training

No reason to be concerned

Everyone is happy

Injured

Athlete is not training

Alarm Bells

Everyone is upset

ANI: Athlete Health: Understanding Injury


High Risk

Factors

Low Risk

Factors

Low Loading

High Loading

Injury Likelihood:

HIGH

Injury Likelihood:

MODERATE

Injury Likelihood:

LOW

Injury Likelihood:

LOW - MODERATE

ANI: Athlete Health


2. Understanding Functional v. Dysfunctional in your Athletes / Sport

Reality: By nature athletics involves movements that

can result in the establishment of dysfunctional

movement patterns. Particularly if unchecked.

Cyclic, Acyclic, Symmetrical, Asymmetrical...

It is the coaches job to understand which patterns

are unique to the individual / event / sport and

understand what is acceptable and what is not

Remember the goal is to create an athlete capable of

performing consistently at a high level, not a perfectly

balanced human specimen. We often get lost on this.

ANI: Athlete Health


Athlete Video One: T

ANI: Athlete Health


3. Programming and Feedback

• Develop structure in your programme based on sound principles

• Apply progressively / Don’t be in a hurry: Senior success

• Quality always over quantity

• Allow for recovery at all stages

• Be sensitive to the issue of specificity

ANI: Athlete Health: Programming on Sound Principles


ANI: Athlete Health: Programming Progressively


Shane Niemi: Quadrennial Plan: 1997- 2000

200m: 20.60; 400m: 44.86

Training for the 400m

Planning for Health

ANI: Athlete Health: Sound & Progressive

ANI: Athlete Health: Programming: Sound & Progressive


Periodisation of Speed (95%+) over a Quadrennial

Year

Age / TA

2011

16 (3)

2012

17 (4)

2013

18 (5)

2014

19 (6)

2017

22 (9)

# SPP 1 2 2 2 3

Length of SPP 8 6 8 10 12 (4)

Sessions week 2 2 2-3 2-3 3

Speed / Sp End 50 / 80 50 /100 60 / 120 60 / 150 80 / 180

Max Volume

Session 400m 500m 600m 750m 1,000m

Annual Volume 6,000m 10,000m 18,000m 25,000m 40,000m

Comments

Accels

Speed

Accels

Speed

Intro

Special

Endurance

Intensify

Speed

Endurance

Intensity

over

Volume

ANI: Athlete Health: Specificity & Recovery


Tuesday Wednesday Friday Saturday

Multi Jumps Multi Throws Multi Jumps Multi Throws

Accelerations Ext. Tempo Accelerations Ext Tempo

Speed General Strength Speed Endurance General Strength

Strength Strength

20m -50m 50m-100m 20m-80m 100m-200m

400m 1500m 400m 2000m

Julie: 16 (3) Sample Micro: SPP

Quality over Quantity

ANI: Athlete Health


Athlete Video Two: C

ANI: Athlete Health


4. Specific Interventions

• Align yourself with a therapist that is willing to get their hands dirty

“If you are an athletic trainer or a physical therapist develop your

soft tissue evaluation and treatment skills. Most athletic trainers

and physical therapists don't do massage in this country because it's

too hard and not cost effective. This has to change to stem the tide

of (sports injuries)” my addition. (M. Boyle)

ANI: Athlete Health


Review:

• Injuries should not be accepted as normal or the result of bad luck

• Coaches are the instrumental in injury prevention

• The majority of injuries can be prevented via programming and feedback

• Find a good soft tissue therapist or get some skills yourself

• Accept “experts” for what they are and more importantly what they aren’t

ANI: Athlete Health


Questions?

For further information please contact:

Ryan Murphy, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, T: 0121 713 8400, E: [email protected]

UK Athletics, Athletics House, Central Boulevard, Blythe Valley Park, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 8AJ

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